


what brothers are for

by faintingviolet



Series: Buddiemas 2020 Prompts [8]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: 12 Days of Buddiemas (9-1-1 TV), Athena Grant and Bobby Nash are Evan "Buck" Buckley's Parents, Brother-Sister Relationships, Buck is a good brother, Buddiemas, Buddiemas 2020, Established Relationship, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Holiday nerves, M/M, May needs help, holiday fluff, just a tiny bit of Angst, surprise visit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:00:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28185051
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faintingviolet/pseuds/faintingviolet
Summary: May Grant has a problem - she is absolutely out of time to get everything done she needs to. She needed help if she was going to get all these presents wrapped and cookies baked in time for Christmas Eve. Thankfully she has Buck in her life and she can rely on her "big brother" to help her out and bake for her, even without warning.(December 18 - Surprise Visits)
Relationships: Evan "Buck Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & May Grant
Series: Buddiemas 2020 Prompts [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2057301
Comments: 4
Kudos: 151
Collections: 9-1-1 Tales, Buddiemas 2020





	what brothers are for

**Author's Note:**

> This fic exists in the same universe as my other fic _ain't nobody got a mom like mine_ , but it absolutely can be read without the other.
> 
> Up without a beta, so all errors and mistakes are mine and mine alone.

As far as May Grant was concerned one of the benefits of having Bobby as a stepfather was the way it had grown their family in unexpected ways. With Bobby came the entire 118 and she had come to view them as a natural extension of her family. Her mom and Hen had been friends for years, so she had seen her, Karen, and Denny frequently, but this was different. Now they were so much closer than they had been before. The 118 made Bobby smile, her mom relaxed with a house full of people, and there were more kids to keep Harry out of her hair. All good things as far as May was concerned.

But the best part, the thing she didn’t know she’d be excited about, was having Buck in their family too. Sure, he wasn’t Bobby’s actual kid, but he might as well have been for as much as Bobby and her mom loved him. He had always been around a little more than anyone else, but after the attack on her mom Buck became a fixture, his relationship with her mom growing. She was pretty sure at this point that Buck texted her mom more than she did.

May loved it. She was as surprised as anyone that she really enjoyed having what amounted to an older brother in her life. Because that’s what he had become over the previous year, her brother. Buck naturally fit with them, and May was pretty sure that Buck was the kind of person who could fit most places, but she was glad that he had chosen them as much as they had chosen him. She had grown to rely on him as a sounding board, and she wasn’t ashamed to admit that she would use his random pools of information to her benefit. Isn’t that what brothers were for?

Which in a round about way is how May found herself texting Buck from his parking lot, staring at his Jeep, thankful that he was at least home. She needed help if she was going to get all these presents wrapped and cookies baked in time for Christmas Eve tomorrow and brothers were who you went to for that kind of help. Or that’s what she was going on, it felt like the right answer.

>> _you home?_

_< < Yeah._

_< <Why?_

_> >good. open the door. i’m on my way up._

May tucks her phone in her purse before Buck has a chance to reply. A few minutes later she finds Buck standing in his doorway with his phone in his hand as she makes her way down the hall ladened with bags. When he spots her, he immediately abandons his position to help her with what she’s carrying. May knows she’s lucky to have him and that he’ll do exactly as she asks if he can, he’s just that kind of person.

“May, what _is_ all of this?”

“Well, the bags you have are for the cookies I promised I’d make before I realized I didn’t have time and that my mom wasn’t going to give up her kitchen two days before Christmas.”

Buck nods, leading her into the apartment, “Sure, okay. What’s in your bags?”

“Presents. Do you have wrapping paper? I have some in the car, but I couldn’t carry it too.”

“Yeah, I have wrapping paper. You going to steal all of it?”

“I mean, maybe?” May has the decency to look a little sheepish about it, which she thinks Buck appreciates.

“Well, I guess it’s good that I finished my own wrapping already then.”

May is relieved to see the warm happy smile on Buck’s face, the one he usually wears when they spend time together. She gives one in return.

“I guess I should actually ask you for your help, right? Buck, will you please help me get everything done before I have to go to work in a couple hours? I’m not going to get it all done unless you do.”

“Of course, May. Whatever you need.” She really was growing to love having a big brother to rely on.

They divided and conquered, Buck taking over cookie detail while May set up at the table to wrap. They work companionably in the side-by-side spaces, cookie dough rolled out on the island, wrapping paper spread out on the table. Their conversation hits all its usual areas, music they were listening to, shows they were watching, weird stories from work, comparing notes on Bobby and Athena.

“Buck, you still coming by ours for presents?”

May noticed Buck’s shoulders stiffen at the question but he immediately relaxed them before turning from putting the latest tray of cookies into the oven to face her, “yeah, I might need to leave a little early though.”

Because it was her dad’s year for Christmas Day the Grant-Nash household was doing gifts on Christmas Eve. Since Bobby had to work an overnight they were having Christmas lunch instead of dinner and opening gifts in the afternoon. Buck wasn’t on that shift with her stepdad though, so May was confused.

“Okay, I’ll put your gift in the bag I’m taking home. Did your schedule change at the station?”

“Wait you wrapped my gift under my nose?”

“Yes, I’m just that good. But are you on shift with Bobby now? You should just ride in together if you are.”

“Uh, no. I still go in noon on Christmas Day.”

“So, you and Maddie are doing Buckley Christmas for dinner?”

“No, she’ll be at work. We’re going to exchange gifts at the firehouse for dinner since Chim’s on shift with me.”

Now May’s interest was really spiked, there was only one answer left that made any sense at all.

“Ah, what are you and Eddie doing?”

She knew she’d hit the nail on the head by the blush creeping onto his face. May had been one of the early people to know, back when it was still something they weren’t sharing with most people. May had been pleased to be trusted. She knew Buck felt the same way about her that she did about him by that point, but Eddie was a tougher read. But she supposed that she got to ride on the coattails of Eddie trusting her mom.

But that didn’t explain why Buck was being cagey about this, everyone knew at this point, so what was Buck’s deal?

“I’m going with him and Chris to Abuela’s for Buena Noche.”

May could see on his face that this was important, this _meant_ something.

“That sounds fun, why do you sound nervous?”

Buck checked the timer on his phone instead of answering, and May knew it was an excuse to get some extra time.

“Buck, what am I missing here?”

Buck finally looked her in the eye and sighed. “You aren’t missing anything. Except that this is the first major holiday that I’ve ever gone to my partner’s family for and I’m stupidly in my own head about it. I love Eddie’s grandmother, I have meals with his extended family all the time, but this feels important.”

“It’s not unimportant Buck, but it sounds like you know what to expect, should be good.”

“Yeah, I do. It will be. Then I’m staying over and we’re doing presents with Chris first thing before I have to go in.”

May can hear that the nerves haven’t left Buck’s voice, “Worried about that part?”

“A little.”

“Why? Its Christopher. He loves you and you love him. He’d be mad if you weren’t there. Didn’t he want to spend last Christmas with you when he found out Eddie had to work?”

“Yes.”

“So, what the hell?”

“I told you I’m in my head about this. I know I shouldn’t be.”

May gets up from the table and walks around the kitchen island and hugs Buck around his middle without saying a word. She just holds on until he hugs her back.

“Hey, what it is really?”

May doesn’t let go, but she does hear and feel Buck sniffle before he answers her.

“This is family stuff, May. Eddie has always said I’m family, and I’ve believed him for a long time, but this is _real_.”

May just tightens her grip on him. Takes a second and says something aloud she’d only thought before.

“I love you, big brother, and Christopher loves you, and Eddie is stupid in love with you. You _are_ our family. Its already real. Just enjoy it.”

They stay in the hug until the timer beeps. Buck kisses the top of May’s head before letting go to take the cookies out, whispering “I love you, too,” as he does.

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing May, so I hope it comes across in her voice. 
> 
> Comments and kudos always welcome.


End file.
